Otani's Regret
by DragonCastle
Summary: Koizumi Risa's efforts in winning Otani Atsushi back did not work out. Years after their break-up, they meet once again.


A/N: I love Otani! And when I watched the drama, I fell in love with him more because of Teppei Koike :D Though I still pity Risa for doing all the work. Otani could show more appreciation. :P

-

It had been 3 years since he broke up with Koizumi Risa.

She went to a concert with a friend from work who liked her and he had been jealous. He broke up with her. For sometime after, Risa had tried to win him over again. He desperately wanted to, but every time he remembers what happened, his pride would get in the way and he would turn her down. The last straw came when Risa brought him dinner after a gruelling review session. He was tired and cranky and brought it out on her.

He told her she was annoying him. He told her that she couldn't take a hint when to stop. He told her he wanted nothing to do with her ever again. Predictably, she cried as she left the scene. Afterwards, Otani felt like slugging himself for what he said.

That was also the event that made him lose favour in Nobu-chan's eyes. It was apparently Nobu to thank that Risa tried so hard for him. Once she pulled out her support, disgusted by the way Otani treated her best friend, there was nobody to support Risa pursuing Otani and eventually, her efforts stopped.

Otani had been devastated but he convinced himself it was better this way. That this was what he wanted.

And for the next two years and a half he had managed to avoid Koizumi Risa, who in turn, avoided him like the plague as well.

It was easy. They studied in different schools, walked different crowds. High school get-togethers never happened, though he still met up regularly with Suzuki and Nakao and he was pretty sure Risa met up with Chiharu and Nobu as well.

When he saw her orange hair fluttering in the wind as she leaned against the wall of the venue of the Umibouzu concert he was going to, he couldn't believe his eyes. She was beautiful, always had been, wearing the type of clothes she would wear when she wanted to look cute. Without knowing it, he had approached her.

"Koizumi," he whispered. His heart was thumping loudly in his chest, his palms sweaty. Risa turned and recognition clouded her features. Her eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Otani!" She exclaimed. "Long time no see! I should have known I would bump into you in one of Umibouzu's concerts!" She seemed so at ease and carefree, the complete opposite of the nervous wreck Otani became upon seeing her. "How are you?"

"Great," he managed to stutter out, "how about you?"

"I'm great as well!" She replied happily, "you know, Nobu-chan and the others are planning to go to the beach this summer. I'm not sure if Nakao-kun already told you but if he didn't yet, you should totally come!"

Otani's heartbeat was going wild. He didn't understand what he was feeling right now. He felt elated seeing her once again. He missed Risa so much. He was itching to reach out and hold her in his arms and he reminded himself that it was no longer his place to do so.

"Eh? Are you even listening? O-ta-ni." She asked peering beneath her eyelashes as she lowered her face to be level with him.

"Huh?" Otani said, shaken awake from a stupor he didn't even know he was in, "yes, yes, get-together this summer, right?"

"Yes!" Risa exclaimed, "as I was saying, it's open invitation so you can take your girlfriend."

Otani looked at her carefully, watching to see if she would show signs of jealousy as she did before whenever a girl romantically linked to Otani was mentioned but he saw none. He only saw light-hearted teasing.

"I don't have a girlfriend." He said, a bit hurt by her indifference.

"Really?" She exclaimed, "that's no good! You come to the reunion, okay? I'll get Kazuki to bring a few female friends." She ended with a waggle of her eyebrows.

"Kazuki?" He questioned.

"Oh, didn't Nakao tell you? I've been going out with Kohori Kazuki for a year now."

Otani felt his heart break.

As if on cue, a short boy with black hair arrived holding a can of drink. "Risa!" He shouted in greeting.

"Kazuki! Look who's here!"

Deep inside, Otani was a wreck. Koizumi was dating again? With the same guy who was the reason why they broke up?

"Eh?" Kohori said, surprised, "isn't this Otani-kun?"

"Yep!" Risa said, "he's an Umibouzu fan too, you know."

Kohori looked uncomfortable, as if remembering that he himself was part of the reasons why Koizumi and Otani broke up. He took a deep breath and addressed Otani, "hey," he said with a half-hearted wave.

"Hey," Otani replied stoically.

They were spared from the tense silence that was going to follow by Risa declaring that it was about time they entered the venue for the concert

"I have to go to the restroom first. Wait for me outside, okay, Kazuki?" She said addressing her current boyfriend and then adding, "nice seeing you again, Otani!"

With Risa leaving to go to the restroom, Otani was left alone with Kohori. He stared intensely at the younger man and delighted in making him fidget. He disliked the boy. He was the catalyst that caused what was probably his hardest break-up and to see Kohori now with his ex-girlfriend irked him to no end. Kohori took a deep breath and spoke:

"I really can't say I'm sorry," he said, "first, because I'm really happy with Risa and this wouldn't have happened if things were different back then and second, because I'm pretty sure I love her more than you ever did. At the very least, I can say honestly that I'm sorry for causing trouble for her."

Otani felt his blood boil. How dare he compare his love to Otani's? He who was unaware of how many nights Otani slept with tears in his eyes and regret in his heart. He who planted the seed of doubt in Otani's heart such that he couldn't bring himself to trust Risa anymore.

"You've no right to accuse me." Otani replied, gritting his teeth.

"Don't I?" Kohori challenged, "didn't I explain to you before that what happened was my fault? Why blame Risa? Didn't she try her best, did everything to ask for forgiveness? Don't you think that from the beginning, it was her who did all the effort? I would never hurt Risa like that. I would never make her cry."

His words were like arrows piercing Otani's heart. They were true and each waking moment he regretted what he did.

"Kazuki!" Came Risa's voice, "what's taking you so long?"

"Coming!" Kohori replied, then turned to Otani, "I'm sorry," he said with a bow. "The things I said were unnecessary. It's been years. Surely all of those things are now in the past."

Otani mindlessly nodded.

"I'm hoping to see you this summer. Risa misses your friendship a lot." And with that, Kohori turned and left.

Otani watched Risa and Kohori link arms. He watched Kohori and his sweet gestures that Otani never did in public. He watched their familiarity, calling each other by their first names, a stage that he and Risa never reached.

Jealousy bubbled in his gut.

Meeting her once again uncapped his bottled-up feelings, feelings that he desperately pushed away for years. He was still in love with her, and now, he's ready to admit that to himself.

He was still in love with her, and now, he's done with regrets.

He was going to get her back. His Koizumi. His Risa.


End file.
